Page 56 of Heart of the Cursed
“They’re dirty, so I didn’t want to put them on straight away,” she said. “Plus, the towel is so soft, I didn’t want to take it off. But I can, if you’d prefer?”
There was no mistaking the desire in his eyes. It burned so hot, she could almost see the flames.
“Clothes,” she quickly rectified when she realised what she had said. “I can put my clothes back on if you prefer.”
“No.” He shook his head adamantly. “You’re fine just as you are. I’m glad you like the towel.”
Selene smiled. “It’s so soft. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”
Arun smiled. “Come and have something to eat before it goes cold.”
Selene eagerly obeyed. She sat on the sofa with her legs under her and accepted the bowl of stew that Arun passed her.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “How did you like the bath? Was the water warm enough for you?”
“It was perfect, thank you,” she said between spoonful’s. “How did the water stay hot for so long?”
“I kept it warm using magic,” he told her.
“Well, thank you, I really appreciated it,” she said honestly.
“You’re more than welcome,” he said.
She didn’t bring up the scents he’d used because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know how he knew they were her favourites. She tried to think of how he could have found out, but kept coming up empty. Even if he’d snooped around in her bunker, he wouldn’t have found any clues. The only way he could know is if he’d been following her for some time.
That thought didn’t sit well with her. She’d been as careful as she could every time she’d ventured far from home. Not to mention, it had been years since she’d been anywhere near the flowers. Selene was positive she would have known if he’d been following her for all that time.
Plus, she believed him when he said he hadn’t been following her. She didn’t think he was lying about hearing her voice in his head, either. She could be wrong about both, but she didn’t think she was.
As if reading her mind, he asked, “Were the bubbles and scents okay for you?”
“Um, yes,” she said. “I’ve never had a bath with bubbles before. It was… different.”
Arun laughed. “I’ve never used them before, so it’s possible that I might have done something wrong. I know Humans used to have bubbles in their baths all the time, I thought you might like them, too. But if you didn’t like them, I don’t have to use them. It’s entirely up to you.”
“No, I liked them,” she said. “They were just… different, but in a good way.”
She had enjoyed the feel of them against her skin, and it definitely made the bath more interesting to look at. They left a tingly sensation wherever they touched her.
Her skin still tingled, but she wasn’t entirely sure that was down to the bath. She had a feeling it was more to do with the topless male sat next to her.
Arun sat so close to her, she could feel the heat coming off of him. She wanted to pull the leather strap from his hair and run her fingers through it. She bet the pure white strands were just as silky and smooth as they looked.
“You need to stop looking at me like that,” he growled.
Selene’s stomach… as well as other body parts… fluttered at the desire she heard in his deep voice and saw in his eyes.
“Or what?” she teased.
She knew full well that she was playing with fire, but she couldn’t help herself. The male was irresistibly. She had wanted a taste of him since she first woke to find him watching her. Yes, she should have been creeped out at the time, and she was, just not as much as she should have been.
“Or I’m going to do something you might regret,” he warned her.
A slow smile spread across Selene’s face as she looked him up and down, daring him to make a move. Did she want him to?
Hell, yes!Her mind and body screamed at her.
